When his brother opened the door to a thawing of relations with the US in 2014, Castro cautiously blessed the deal - but only after a month-long silence.

Castro was born on August 13 1926, in eastern Cuba's sugar country, where his father, a Spanish immigrant, organised labour for US sugar companies.

After attending Jesuit schools he received law and social science degrees from the University of Havana.

His first foray into violent subversion came in 1953 when he and Raul joined rebels in an attack on a military barracks in the eastern city of Santiago. Most of his comrades were killed and the brothers were jailed.

After receiving a pardon he fled to Mexico and raised a rebel force - supported by Che Guevara and others - who in 1956 sailed to Cuba, only for most to die in a botched landing.

But after rallying support in the country's eastern mountains he led a revolutionary force into Havana and unseated Batista on New Year's Day, 1959.

Declaring victory, he said: "I am not interested in power nor do I envisage assuming it at any time. All that I will do is to make sure that the sacrifices of so many compatriots should not be in vain, whatever the future may hold in store for me."

While Cuba's population of 11 million has endured years of economic hardship the country has not suffered the deep poverty, violent crime and government neglect of many other developing countries.

Many Cubans still love Castro and share his faith in the system he created.

"Fidel? Fidel?" he said as he slapped his head with his hand in shock. "That's not what I was expecting. One always thought that he would last forever. It doesn't seem true."

"It's a tragedy," said 22-year-old nurse Dayan Montalvo. "We all grew up with him. I feel really hurt by the news that we just heard."

Fidel Castro delivers a speech in 1997 with an image of fellow revolutionary icon Che Guevara behind him (Image: Getty)

Others, though, saw him as an autocrat and feel he drove the country to ruin. Many fled Cuba on small boats to Florida where a huge Cuban community celebrated the news of his death last night.

Thousands left behind their possessions and loved ones to risk the trip by boat or raft.

Many Cubans died on the ocean trip to South Florida.

Thousands of people banged pots with spoons, waved Cuban flags in the air and whooped in jubilation in Miami's Little Havana neighbourhood last night within half an hour of the news of Castro's death being announced.

Cuban-Americans in Miami celebrate after the death of Fidel Castro (Image: Reuters)

Cubans earn on average the equivalent of $20 a month and struggle to make ends meet even in an economy that suffered badly from American sanctions and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

However, education and health care are free and many basic goods and services are heavily subsidized.

Cuba's health system actually puts America to shame in many ways as it boasts a lower rate of infant death than the USA where many poor people struggle to get adequate health care.

Cuba also exports its health professionals to poorer countries in South and Central America and Africa.

Since the 1959 revolution, Cuba has sent its doctors and nurses abroad and offered training to overseas medical students in Cuba.

In 2007 Cuba had 42,000 workers in international collaborations in 103 different countries, including 19,000 doctors and the country provides more medical personnel to the developing world than all the top eight richest nations combined.